Crotone of Italy striker, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo (Simy) is reminiscing over what he recalled was a ‘beautiful childhood’ he enjoyed while growing up in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Megasportsaena.com reports that, although he has become a household name in Italian football, following his rain of goals his past season in the Italian Serie A, ‘Smy’ is not one to forget his humble beginnings.
While also recalling how he admired former Super Eagles’ captain, Nwankwo Kanu (Papilo), who he recounted excited him as a kid, the lanky former Portugal-based hitman stressed that he still remains as modest as he was in the beginning.
‘Simy’ pointed out that he is yet to make even half of the marks Kanu achieved during his time with the Super Eagles and, considering that he has not been able to cut a niche for himself with the Nigerian team, the rising star says he has a lot more to achieve in the game.
The lanky lad, who could only manage two cameo roles as a substitute at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, went on to declare emphatically that he is still aiming for bigger and better things in his career, which he admitted took a massive leap in the past season.
Simy stated at length: “My childhood in Onitsha was beautiful. I miss it so much because it is my land. Also, my family and all my friends are there. I was little; I was maybe four years old. I started playing at home, outside, everywhere.
“I always wanted the ball between my feet. My father said I was sick from this game. It didn’t take much to give birth to my passion, or rather obsession, for football. In Onitsha, I grew up as a person, in Portugal as a player.
“I understood what it means to be a professional, a fundamental and important step for me that gave me the opportunity to come to Crotone in 2016. Kanu has been my idol since childhood, a very important point of reference. For his history and both as a player and as a man.
“He has always overcome all the difficulties of his life. Watching him made me stronger. We have the same name and surname and it’s beautiful, but I’m not even 10% of what he was. I can’t even think of comparing myself to Kanu.
“He made football history, in his own way. The truth is that all these numbers are nice, but I’ve never been a person who thinks about these things.”
